Frequently Asked Questions
General
What does CNaught do?
CNaught is a software company that enables organizations to reduce the carbon footprint of their business activities. We provide a carbon credit API to help create carbon-neutral products and services.
How do I get started?
CNaught is a developer-oriented product. Your developer can sign up for free at app.cnaught.com and get their API keys for usage in a sandbox environment. Once billing has been set up, you can place orders for carbon credits via the API or SDKs.
Carbon credits
What is a carbon credit?
A carbon credit (often called a carbon offset) is a credit for greenhouse emissions reduced or removed from the atmosphere by an emission reduction project, which can be used by governments, industry, or private individuals to compensate for the emissions they generate elsewhere. One carbon credit is equal to one metric ton of carbon dioxide, or in some markets, carbon dioxide equivalent gases (CO2e).How does this work?
Customers purchase carbon credits from CNaught via their web dashboard or our API. Orders can be placed in quantities as low as a kilogram (the equivalent of powering a lightbulb for one day). CNaught matches that order in exactly the same amount with verified carbon removals and offsets (credits) that we have already purchased and retired. Once we allocate these credits to CNaught customers, we remove them from our inventory and do not allocated them to more than one customer. Customers are provided a certificate noting the quantity of the credit and the project that it was matched with.
How do I know carbon is being removed?
CNaught purchases and retires carbon removal and offset credits from projects that we have vetted and meet our requirements for permanence, additionality, and risk. These projects have been certified by registries, including Verra, Gold Standard, and American Carbon Registry, which require meeting measurement and verification standards. CNaught also uses data from third-party ratings providers, including BeZero, Sylvera, and Renoster to select the highest quality projects available to minimize the risk of project underperformance.
Do you differentiate between removal and offsets?
No. Carbon removal and offsets are both an integral part of the climate solution. CNaught has adopted the Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Offseting which includes both carbon removal (active elimination of carbon dioxide through techniques including planting trees) and carbon offsets (prevention of additional carbon dioxide generation through techniques including forrest conservation).
Can I choose the project for my credits?
No. To simplify the purchase process and to encourage the adoption of a wide range of carbon credit solutions, CNaught matches customers with projects.
Billing and Pricing
How does CNaught’s pricing work?
CNaught’s standard pricing is based on pay-as-you-go usage charges. There are no monthly recurring charges, fees to access the platform, or transaction charges. For full details, please see our pricing page.
Carbon credits
For carbon credits, we charge a flat rate per ton.
Carbon estimates
Usage of estimate endpoints is free for CNaught customers.
Security
How many api keys can I have?
You are allowed a maximum of 2 API Keys at a time. When a new key is created, the old one will be rotated out but will remain active for 24 hours.